EXTOLLING THE VIRTUES IN ANGMERING
JOHN CLARKE Croquet Sports Journalist
Secretary, Angmering Croquet Club
A couple of months ago our Chairman at Angmering Croquet Club asked me if I’d write a piece about the club for the local All about Angmering magazine. The idea was to extol the virtues of the game and perhaps encourage those hitherto ignorant of the sport to have their interest piqued. To paraphrase a certain Ernie Wise; this is what I wrote: I’m not pretending to be Sir Keir Starmer and my dad definitely wasn’t a toolmaker, but I would venture to suggest I’m from a working‐class background. As a kid growing up on the outskirts of London my primary sporting interest was football and if I wasn’t watching a game, I’d be up the park with my friends kicking a ball around until dark or teatime. That decision was based on how hungry I was or how prepared I was to upset my mum. In those days I was only vaguely aware of the game of Croquet and had formed the opinion that it was a game ‘posh’ people play. Fast forward fifty years or so and having taken early retirement just before I was 60 I noticed a picture in this very magazine of some near neighbours extolling the virtues of Angmering Croquet Club. The next time we met I complimented them on their photogenic good looks but more seriously asked them about the game itself. They said how much they enjoyed it but said the best way to find out was to have a game ourselves. A short while later my wife Sallie and I went with them to Ham Manor Golf Club where the Angmering Croquet Club have two lawns conveniently located just adjacent to the beautiful Ham Manor Building. After a brief tutorial from our friends, I swung a Croquet Mallet for the first time in my life and swiftly started to pick up the nuances of the sport. It’s a game that rewards accuracy of shot but can also be a tactical battle of wits where your best option might be to knock an opponent’s ball out of the way rather than aim for the hoop yourself. In that respect it can be like a chess game where you might be thinking three or four moves ahead when selecting your shot to play. A bit of light physical exercise along with use of the old grey matter ticked two boxes and meant it was an easy decision to join the club ourselves. That was a couple of years ago now and we haven’t looked back. It’s a very sociable club and we’ve made many good friends as we’ve slowly but
surely got the hang of the game. The lawns are well maintained which means we can play all year around. Even though this winter has been seemingly wetter and colder than recent years the hardy souls of Angmering Croquet Club can be seen on the lawns whenever opportunity arises. If it is too wet to play, then members often meet up for a coffee at the Club or eat there as we did for a lovely Club Christmas dinner in December. There’s also the opportunity to socialise together at many of the quizzes, comedy and music events the Golf Club put on throughout the year. The only downside to my croquet experience is that I didn’t find out about the game many years earlier. I hope my piece has done justice to the wonderful game although if you are now reading it in the Croquet Gazette I’m sure I am already preaching to the converted.
www.croquetengland.org.uk | 24
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